Day 137 – The Drive Through the Dust

The vultures spiralled over head and the old creaky bridge of the local ravine swayed in the gentle breeze. A hot summer ray burst through the sky and sizzled the soil. Cacti basked in pure paradise.

In forty years the little place had never changed. The people may have grown older and the buildings may be crumbling more, but it was the same tarmac and the same dust that swept across the village streets. This was the land that time would rest in. There was no need for haste or urgency. Things would happen when they would happen and if they didn’t then that would also be quite all right.

The village was surrounded by cattle ranches and fields of dying crops. It was not the most lucrative area. The machinery was more outdated than the folks that lived there and they were never very keen on all that new fangled technology. Electricity was still considering cutting edge.

“How much farther?” Helena called over the gushing wind.

Their convertible was open.

“Maybe another hour!” Colin shouted back.

But neither would ever reach their destination. Colin was driving his girlfriend back to his old family home. He had grown up here and since leaving had not returned until today. He was somewhat apprehensive about coming back. Though his childhood had been nice, his young adult life was not something to be desired. Too many bad memories lurked the dodgy back alleyways of this village for him to really feel at ease when driving passed them with someone who had never known that side of him.

The roads had been vastly empty save for a few caravans and some roadside Native American sellers. They had not stopped in hours – Colin just wanted to get home and get the journey over and done with. The roads were all the same, Colin had slumped into a day dream. The horizon was shimmering in heat.

A black object streaked across the road. Colin swerved to miss it and handbrake turned to a stop. The tyres burned a mark in the road and the dust billowed as if smoke from an explosion.

“What the?”

“What was that?” Helena cried, still clutching on to the sides of the car even though it was now stationary.

“I don’t know… but it wasn’t human… must have been a cat or something?”

“It was huge! Didn’t you see it?”

Colin gulped, he knew that she, too, had seen what he had.

“Can we just drive?”

“Yeah, I don’t want to hang around either…”

Colin started the engine. But by the time he had accelerated to a decent speed to turn the car, a chilling wind brushed over them and clouds appeared their heads in an otherwise cloudless sky. They were black and heavy with foreboding.

“Colin, what’s happening?”

They were both looking up at the sky in apprehension.

“I’m scared,” Helena reached out to grab Colin’s hand.

Suddenly the clouds split open and a fierce torrent of rain battled down on them. Seconds later a bright light illuminated from the gap in the clouds and the bitterly cold rain turned to a stingingly hot temperature.

They both screamed as the car was suddenly lifted into the air in a jolt. Helena was screaming over the sides as she tried to guess whether or not she’d die if she jumped. Colin was still fixated with the lights above.

Higher and higher the car went until it was engulfed in the light it was being sucked into. The clouds then resealed around it and neither were ever seen again.